Introduction:Torque has returned home to battle his inner demons in The Suffering: Ties that Bind. We take a look this sequel to see if Ties That Bind can hold up to the high standards the first Suffering game made.

The Game:The madness inside Torques mind isn't going to find sleep anytime soon and so we have another adventure in The Sufferings demented visceral world. You could say Torque is a little mentally challenged or just freaking insane! Both are two qualities which is always make for a great lead character in a horror game. Surreal Software is pulling all the tricks from the original Suffering and blasting them at you once again. If you never played the original then get ready for some disturbing images flashed randomly on the screen and some bizarre flashbacks from Torques broken memory. Surreal always does a great job in the gaming hallucinogens part making the game seem... surreal. The Suffering: TTB is more then a standard shooter and it goes deeper into the story telling aspect then before. So prepare for some lengthy roaming periods and some flashback fun.

The Suffering: Ties that Bind follows Torque right after the first game with him escaping from Abbott State Penitentiary on Carnate Island . "T" as his ghostly wife (Carmen) refers to him, makes him aware that he is needed back home in Baltimore city, so as instructed T runs and guns to get home. Once home the adventure takes on a new form as the demon beasts are invading the city, Torque is on the run and this time he plans to end this starting with nemesis Blackmore.

In the same fashion is the first Suffering you will be haunted by apparitions and posed with questions that give more questions then answers. The mysterious cloud that The Suffering likes to play out in will either make the gamer anticipating curiously or just bored with the games antics. I know it was a little old to me and I think it would have benefited with a new adventure with Torque that didn't pertaining to Carnate Island . Baltimore city sounds like it would be awesome, but it is little disappointing because the city didn't have a free roam approach. I not saying it needed GTA free roam, but more options and paths to take would have been ideal rather then being pushed from point A to point B.

The gameplay follows the same controls as scheme as before so you can jump quickly into the action. Like the original Suffering you can unleash Torques aggression and turn into the body dicing Torque Monster. This feature feels more in place now that I'm used to the character, although you only get about ten seconds as the creature. The Torque Monster is basically just good for clearing the front lines of a melee assault other then that I try not to use the big guy even if I need his help. Ties that Bind feels a little tougher, or it could be that the weapons that are a little weaker. Even with the monster it took me a lot longer to down the enemies and this is after I learnt all their patterns and attacks.

Morality always plays a part in a Suffering game and they kept this system intact for Ties. During the game you can make good or evil choices which affect your creature form and a bit of the story. Like before they use the right-left speaker trick when your thoughts are contemplating each root. This effect is done to perfection and helps make the morality test the best part of the game. Its awesome how you're put into a real time situation when you have to make decisions; it can make you wonder about how you would handle that exact situation in real life which is part of its charm. The Suffering wouldn't be the same without it and it's always fun to play both sides of the coin.

If you enjoy your FPS you can now throw Torque into first person mode, although it feels more polished and proper to use the standard 3rd person perspective. For the other changes they have switched up your inventory so you can't stockpile health (painkillers) which really hurts because Torque dies so easily. It was nice that Surreal gives you the freedom to save anywhere or I would of been toast. Like any game that uses this format you will be using the shoot, save, shoot formula. Other then that the Suffering feels like the original which is a good thing.

Graphics & Sound:The Suffering sits on the fence in the graphics and sound department, while the graphics have obviously improved its only marginally compared to what other games are pulling off. It's bloodier and a little more detailed then the first game but the bad textured environments are more evident. I guess it's a trade off, work on blood splatters or bump up pixels. The audio on the other hand is more of the same, but considering it's done brilliantly you can not complain. Like I mentioned above the use of the stereo voice work is awesome and it all comes together in surround sound like a beautiful twisted soundscape of tortured souls.

The Suffering gets most of its acclaim from its creature design and creation of in game ambiance by cleverly using a combination of images and sound. They keep it dark with layered audio then throw in some violent gory pictures with blood splattered gameplay. Needless to say for a horror action design works marvelously, it's a proven formula for success. Clive Barker would be proud.

Innovation:Ties That Bind is less innovative the original mainly because it follows the footsteps that are already in place. The morality meter, turning into a monster, deviant twisted monsters and cheap scare tactics are little old to be something fresh. The Suffering is still different from other games although it's not a surprise that this game is more of the same.

Mojo:The Suffering: Ties that Bind has a lot of great ideas, creepy moments and crazy looking demons which reminds me of the Hellraiser movies, when they where good. Torque has the creepy bad boy mojo working for him again, but it's wearing a little thin. It's great to splatter monster guts and then turn into a monster a splatter more guts, but that's all the mojo I can find. Find your own escort Junkie!

Lowdown:Horror fans are happy that we have another episode of crazy man Torque. Gamers who enjoyed the first game will find something to enjoy about Ties that Bind although it's not as brilliant as the first offering. Ties that Bind is cool, creepy and bloody, but it gets old fast. It's a rental for most, and a buy if you need your gun smoking, blood soaking fix.

Gameplay: 7, Graphics/Sound: 8, Innovation: 6, Mojo: 7. Final: 7/10